Are you an educator? If so, then you can register for a free VoiceThread Pro account. Most people--if they're not educators--have to pay for a VoiceThread account. But you can get one at NO COST! BTW, they've prepared a special printable guide for educators.

Get your free account online at http://voicethread.com/

Even if you're running on a Windows 98 computer--no longer supported by the District--if you have a browser that can handle Flash, you can create a digital story with photos or exported Powerpoint slides, then upload your audio recording. You can create the audio recording in Audacity with a $10 microphone, or record it using a $64 Olympus WS-100 digital audio recorder, or any of the other "inexpensive" audio recorders out there.

If your students create a VoiceThread, you are hitting quite a few Technology Applications:TEKS, such as the following FOUNDATIONS level expectations:

At Grade 2 students are expected to...

• have a solid understanding of use and function of input devices. Imagine students using a digital camera to take photos, move those photos from the camera to the computer, then upload those to the VoiceThread site.
• ...publish and communicate ideas. They could certainly prepare a slideshow of information, and share that with a worldwide audience. Research shows that students writing and publishing for a real, authentic audience are more engaged in their work, and revise more frequently.
• ...use technology collect and distribute information. In the case of VoiceThread.com, students are able to collect comments from their audience members. This goes beyond publishing information to an audience that cannot respond, and allow the audience to leave audio/text comments.

At Grade 5, students are expected to...

• Use productivity tools to support personal productivity and facilitate learning within the curriculum. VoiceThread can certainly be used to facilitate learning, from students creating their own learning materials and producing them--following a production process from creation to analysis and review and publication--and then publishing on the web to receive feedback, either from peers or visitors.
• Have the ability to access information remotely and communicate with others to support independent learning.
• Have the ability to access a variety of media types to be used as resources to facilitate individualized learning.

At Grade 8, students are expected to...

• Have the ability to work in cooperative groups to complete projects utilizing technology and media resources to enhance the learning experience
• Design, develop, publish and present producs using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts
• Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness and bias of electronic information sources.

VoiceThread is a simple, free, online tool you can use whether you're on a Macintosh or Windows computer. I encourage you to explore it and get your own Pro account--at no cost.